Three Key Principles
Alright ... I took a test today in my Java class, and this question was on the test. I feel as if I got it right, but I wanted someone elses opinion on this. Pasted is the question and my answer.
1. Modularity
Modularity is an important aspect of Java. By using modularity, we move away from procedural style programming and take a "divide and conquer" approach towards programming. We break a large and complex task into packages, classes, and methods. This is much more efficient, easier to manage, helps code reusability, decreases the likelyhood of making reapeat mistakes, and helps with debugging.
2. Encapsulation/Abstraction
Encapsulation and abstraction is very important in Java. By encapsulating information, we hide the information. Encapsulation allows us to wrap our data and not get caught up in specifics. We can program in the general and tailor it to the specific. We also use the "Principle of Least Privlidge" ... this means we only give other objects and classes access to our data when it is absolutely needed. This prevents easy access to our data and manipulation of our data when it is not intended.
3. Polymorphism/Inheritance
Polymorphism and Inheritance are also very important in Java. Using inheritance, we can save alot of time and prevent stupid mistakes. We can inherit all the public data members and methods of a class and override whatever information we want to change to be specific for a particular new class. This really makes us more efficient by reusing code and saving time. We do not have to worry about programming specific things, only overriding the methods what we need for our new class to work. Polymorphism is also important, as it allows us to abstract our data and give generice data types to each objects. This helps when sorting and manipulating our data. Thus, we do not have to create an array of the same object when we need to use different objects. We can call a method, and depending on what type of class the object is, it will find and use the method that is meant for it. This also makes us more efficient.
